Sebastian Thrun, Prof. of Computer Science at Stanford, and Anthony Levandowski, a Google product manager, have written an interesting Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, on January 3, 2009:
Four Ways for Detroit to Save Itself
The four ideas are: 1.) Dedicated short-rnage communication (like WiFi technology) 2.) Solar-electric hybrids 3.) Robotic cars able to drive in tight formation 4.) Online cars
The part about Wi-Fi in cars for making them safer is interesting. It surprises me that it's been taking so long to use wi-fi in cars as a way of detecting hazards and traffic problems. American car companies are capable of doing it but can they do it better than German and Japanese car makers?
Lack of engineering. This is one of the many reasons I have seen why American car companies are failing.